


You're Safe Now

by BisectionalBisexual



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, I don't really know how to tag things, My First Work in This Fandom, Other, Physical Abuse, Verbal Abuse, but this is just one of those OC's that you use as a punching bag, in the end it's actually kinda sweet and wholesome, set in the earlier seasons, wasn't planning on posting but here we are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-19 22:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18979312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BisectionalBisexual/pseuds/BisectionalBisexual
Summary: Tabitha Charleston was a hunter along with her father, but their relationship has a much more sinister plot lying underneath the surface. The Winchesters find this out for themselves when dragging the famed hunter and his daughter on a hunt. Tabitha makes some new friends and the hunt of her life ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**_‘CRASH!’_ **

“What the hell was that?!”

The voice that rang from the end of the hall made her blood run cold. 

“Tabi! Don’t make me come in there!”

Just the sound of her father’s enraged voice made her already picture her tombstone.

_ Tabitha Charleston, 9/3/87-10/16/07, COD - She was a horrible daughter and broke her dead mother’s favorite vase. _

At least that’s what she figured her father would write.

So she simply stood there frozen, staring at the chunks of glass scattered on her bedroom floor. She had just finished up some school work and got up to get a drink, her elbow bumped the nightstand. It was an accident. Her blood was pumping in her ear, or was that the footsteps angrily stomping towards her room? It was just an accident.

“It was an accident!” She heard herself blurt out, but it was too late.

Her father had reached her room and was now staring at the scene of the crime, and the prime suspect guiltily hunched over the mess.

Before the vase was simply shards on a dirty floor, it was a cherished household item in Tabitha’s family home. When she was little she watched her mother hum a merry tune as she arranged a new bouquet of flowers every week or so. Her father was always buying his wife flowers, she loved them. The smell, the colors, the meaning and purpose each petal held as she felt them in her hands. So then it was a tradition, a sign of love between Tabitha’s mother and father.

When her mother died arrangements of flowers often brought a sour taste to the young woman’s mouth, so she kept the vase and filled it with colorful and smooth pebbles she would find when she was out with her father for business. Pebbles that were now strewn about the floor with the glass.

“Now look at what you’ve done,” his low voice growled, the cracking of knuckles as his hands balled into fists broke Tabitha out of her thoughts.

“I-I’m so sorry, Dad, I know it was mom’s-” She had turned to face him but before she could look up to see his expression, she was shoved down onto the ground making her hiss in pain as the jagged glass cut through her hands and knees creating an array of crimson splotches on the floor.

Before she could gather the strength to pick herself back up, a boot collided with her gut making her be thrown onto her side. The kick was hard, but luckily Tabitha felt like the blow would only cause bruises. 

_ No hospital visits at least. _

“Could you be any more careless? I leave you alone for no more than an hour and this happens?!”

He was right, she should have been paying attention.

“When will you learn, Tabi? You know I hate punishing you.”

“Oh really?” She grunted through her teeth, “then… then please just stop.”

He sighed, grabbing her arm in a painfully tight grip and pulling her up to her feet. 

“You know I can’t do that, hun,” He brought up his free hand to gently caress her cheek, “poor poor girl… What would your mother think?”

With that he pulled his hand back and brought it back to collide with the side of her face, creating a loud smacking sound that radiated off the walls of the room, Tabitha’s whimpers of pain following soon after.

“She loved that vase.”

Another blow followed soon after.


	2. Chapter 2

_ “It should have been you.” _

_ “You were a terrible daughter.” _

_ “She should have killed you instead.” _

_ “You were a sad excuse for a sister.” _

_ “You couldn’t protect them.” _

_ “Help them.” _

_ “Save them.” _

Tabitha’s eyes snapped open at the sound of the doorbell ringing. After three chimes she was finally awake enough to see her surroundings and take them in. She was on the floor of her bedroom, whatever glass wasn’t plunged into her flesh was swept up and promptly thrown out, and only smears of blood remained. Based on the scene, or lack of one in front of her, she assumes her father got bored with her and walked off sometime after she passed out. The sound of footsteps creaking down the hall snapped her out of her thoughts, she promptly sat up so she didn’t look as weak for her father’s return. Pain radiated through her body as she did making her quickly regret her decision, but she had to have gotten up eventually.

“Clean yourself up,” her father ordered as he appeared in her doorway, sounding a lot calmer than he did before, “we have company- I’m coming!”

He shouted down the hall as the doorbell continued to ring and stormed off to answer the door closing Tabitha’s as he walked passed. She listened as his footsteps grew softer and softer but with another annoying chime of the doorbell, Tabitha was met with an ear-splitting headache causing her to groan. Without wasting a single second she scrambled to pull a first aid kit from under her bed. Armed with tweezers for the glass, bandages for the cuts, and some aspirin for her head, she got to work patching herself up.

Once her wounds her addressed properly she pulled herself up to her feet, her joints aching in protest but after a moment she found her footing and limped to her bathroom while clutching her abdomen. She stood in front of the mirror face to face with herself, her eyes landing on each and every ugly bruise forming on her pale freckled complexion. Much to her dismay, this meant she had to apply the cheap makeup she had bought for herself in case of situations like this. Sure, it didn’t cover up everything, especially the black eye forming on the right side of her face, but it helped.

Seeing herself like this nearly brought tears to her eyes, it hadn’t been long since her father’s last episode, but usually, he was too drunk to deliver such lasting pain. Now she had to dig around for anything and everything that could possibly hide the damage. Nothing that clung to her skin, no one can see the bandages. No short sleeves, the hand shaped bruises on her arms would certainly raise questions. The white bands wrapped around her hands couldn’t be hidden as easily, but she would have to manage somehow.

~~~

Tabitha’s father stomped down the hall with a groan of annoyance as whoever was chiming the doorbell refused to cease their pressing. When he finally reached the door he swung it open to see a young man with his finger still trained on the button, but now staring at Tabitha's father with a deer in the headlights look. Behind him was a much taller man, looking disappointed and embarrassed at the awkward scene caused by the doorbell.

“You'll have to excuse my brother, he-”

“Sorry for that, sir,” the shorter one interrupted, reaching his hand out for a shake, “just didn't wanna miss ya. Dean Winchester, this is my brother Sam.”

“Well I'll be damned,” her father sighed reaching out to shake Dean's hand, “if it isn't John's boys. You know, your father and I have had some good times… I'm sorry about what happened to him.”

Sam and Dean both looked to each other slightly saddened, then Sam cleared his throat and nodded, “Yeah… We are too… But anyway, we came here because Dad's journal simply said “Rick Charleston: Demon extraordinaire.” We figured it was about time we paid you a visit.”

He looked between the two of them, pondering his words. 

“Hmm, demons you say?” They nodded, “Alright come on in, I'll see what I can find.”

He stepped away from the doorway allowing Sam and Dean to enter. As he leads them down the hall he glances towards his daughter's bedroom door for only a moment before he starts telling the boys about all the omens he's picked up on in the past months.

“I've been calling other hunters seeing if they can check them out. I'm getting old boys, nowadays I don't like to travel very far from home. State to state maybe, but you're not gonna find me bouncing between California and Florida any time soon.” He gave a light chuckle as he led the boys into the living room.

They both took a seat on the couch and “Rick” took a seat across from them. The three of them began talking about their newly found demon problem spreading across the country. Just as they were about to get into the signs of demonic activity over in St. Louis, Tabitha confidently strode into the room, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning on the doorway.

“My my my,” she began with a smirk, “if it isn't Sam and Dean Winchester.”

All three men looked over to her, Sam putting on a friendly smile to greet her while Dean put on his signature smirk. Her father, on the other hand, was scanning her up and down, examining the outfit she chose.

Black turtleneck, baggy jeans, brown boots, a red flannel shrugged over her shoulders and her fiery orange curls shoved into a black beanie. He gave a nod of approval allowing her to continue by stepping into the room as the two men stood to meet her.

“Boys meet my daughter Tabitha, Tabitha these are the Winchesters.”

“It's a pleasure, my friends call me Tabi,” she gave them a flashy smile as she shook their hands.

“Well Tabi,” Dean began keeping a firm grip on her hand as he examined the bandages, “mind sharing what happened here?”

She could feel her cheery facade beginning to break. The pain of his grip on her hand made her bite the inside of her cheek as the cuts stung up her arm. Should she think of a hunter story? Would her father intervene? She had to think quick but before the boys could see through her act.

“Got mugged,” she heard herself speak but she barely registered the words, “poor bastard didn't stand a chance.”

She forced a chuckle and the boys exchanged glances looking almost impressed as they imagined bruised knuckles under the bandages instead of the clothing cuts. Seeing some dark figure causing the black eye on her face before she got the drop in him.

Dean finally let go of her hand and Tabitha was grateful to be able to shove them into the pockets of her jeans. She gave Sam a nod and walked over to join them sitting a considerable distance from her father.

“So then, how can we help you guys?” She asked as she crossed one leg over her knee leaning back in the couch.

“Well you see Tabi,” her father began making her tense slightly, “we were just talking about some demonic omens popping up in St. Louis.”

She perked up. Demons? It had felt like forever since she last encountered one. St. Louis was only a couple hours away, and she would love to go out on a joyride in  _ her  _ car. Her father had kept her locked up in the house for months, telling her she should start focusing on her online courses. But she wanted to hunt, she wanted to go out and rid the earth of the monstrous scum that infects it. She was staring off in thought before she registered Dean’s words.

“... Sammy and I were looking to check it out, thought we’d stop by and see if the Demon Master himself would like to tag along.”

Before her father could interject she sat up eager to accept for him.

“We’d love to! I mean,” she cleared her throat, “if it’s alright with you guys. I bet me and my father could be a great help.”

Tabitha’s father looked at her, fire glinting in his eyes, but instead of lashing out he forced a chuckle looking to the Winchesters.

“Sorry boys, the fact is me and Tabi haven’t gone hunting in months! I bet we’d only slow you down.” He scooted over and wrapped his arm around Tabitha, holding her in a tight grip.

The boys were about to accept the denial, but then Sam locked eye with Tabitha making him pause. She looked to him pleadingly, silently begging them to get her out of here. Sam saw her staring and subtly nudged at Dean’s shoulder to get his attention as he spoke.

“Well like they all say,” he began as he put on a friendly smile, “practice makes perfect.”

“Uuh… Yeah,” Dean hesitated to look between his brother and Tabitha, “we insist you guys come along. You of all people should know it’s all hands on deck, Rick.”

Tabitha’s breath got caught in her throat as her father’s hand squeezed her shoulder. She hated him being this close, especially after his outburst only mere hours ago. But finally, after a moment of silence, he sighed and stood up, dusting himself off and cracking his back.

“Can’t say no to that I guess,” he turned away from Tabitha completely making her heart sink, surely he was upset with her. “Tabi and I will meet ya tomorrow morning, out on the edge of town.”

They all agreed on the terms and they said their goodbyes, and Rick escorted them out as polite as possible. But as soon as that door shut his blood was boiling.


	3. Chapter 3

Tabitha and her father were driving out of town, the rumble of the engine was the only sound filling the silence between them. She knew he was mad, he was very clear with how he felt in his shouting fit after the Winchesters left.

At least his hands stayed off of her.

“Hey…” Tabitha barely rose her voice, but taking a small glance over from the window told her she had his attention, “why can’t I drive?”

Her voice shook as she asked the question, she knew the answer already but something compelled her to ask. Maybe she preferred to be yelled at rather than sit in deafening silence.

“Because I don’t want you wrecking my car.”

She had heard that before, but today that seemed to immediately tick her off.

“But dad, it’s _my_ car,” She snapped back, “Uncle Roger left it to _me_.”

“Excuse me?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow at her shift in attitude.

His threatening made her blood run cold, but she was determined to push through this time. She wasn’t going to let him talk to her like dirt.

“Well… It is. Before he died he left it to me, he told me himself.”

This made her father roll his eyes, “he would be alive if it weren’t for your incompetence. Don’t you dare tell me what my brother wanted, because if it were up to me this car would still be his.”

Her throat tightened at his words. Did he really mean that? No, no… He’s just upset, but now so is Tabitha.

She and her uncle had a close relationship, he felt more like a father than this guy was, and he had a beautiful car. A ‘72 Plymouth Barracuda, rich cardinal red with a strip of black down the side, and an engine that purred like a kitten. It’s all she has left to remember him by, and her father was right.

It was all her fault.

She turned away from her father and looked out the window as she reminisced. It felt like only yesterday the three of them were out hunting together, the many good memories were suddenly flooded by the darkest of days.

They were tracking down a vampire nest, and the three of them split up to cover more ground. Tabitha was only 16, but she was eager to go out and gank some vamps on her own. Unfortunately, that’s not how the trip turned out, because she and her family were in for a surprise. They must have been followed, how else would they have known? The vamps found young Tabitha all alone, she was completely surrounded. She certainly fought well, she had beheaded 3 vamps before they managed to hold her down. Before she could scream for help it was too late, they sank their teeth into her flesh and drained her of her life.

So you may be wondering how she was here now, well it was because her dear uncle made the selfless choice to sacrifice his own life for hers.

He went behind her father’s back and went to a nearby crossroads while they prepped for a hunter’s funeral.

He sold his soul in order for his niece to live, and his brother was furious. Tabitha got to live while her uncle was down in hell paying for her mistakes.

The rest of the ride was silent, she felt like it was taking hours just to meet the Winchesters on the outskirts of town. When she saw the black Impala pulled over right next to the “ **_You are now leaving ‘Springfield Missouri’_ **” sign her heart lifted in her chest. Finally, she can get out of this car trapped with her father, even if it was for a small moment before the four-hour drive to St. Louis.

They pulled off to the side of the road, but before Tabitha could eagerly hop out of the car her father gripped her thigh and kept her put in her seat.

“I- uh, Dad?” She stuttered out nervously as her body tensed.

“Listen to me Tabi,” His voice was lowered in a threatening tone, “you better watch what you say around these boys.”

The young girl thought back to what he might be referring to, the cuts, the bruises, the incriminating stories she could recall of her father. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

He brought his hand up and gently rubbed the pad of his thumb across her cheek with a smile, “good girl.”

She winced and as soon as he pulled away she hopped out of the car dusting herself off and stretching, trying to put on her chill demeanor for the two brothers standing outside their car. Her eyes scanned the vehicle with a genuine smirk tugging at her lips.

“Oh my,” she walked over trailing her fingers over the hood, “aren’t you just a lovely thing. ‘67 right?”

Dean nodded walking up to Tabitha to show off his car, “yup, she’s a beauty.”

They both began fawning over their respective rides as Sam simply rolled his eyes and joined Rick’s side. Tabitha’s father watched the scene with his arms crossed seeing the comfortable dynamic forming between his little girl and the eldest Winchester brother. When Sam joined him he sighed just grumbling to himself.

“It’s gonna be a long case.”


	4. Chapter 4

She had somehow convinced, or rather forced, her father to let her ride with Sam and Dean. So while he followed behind them, Tabitha was sat in the back seat of the Impala talking to the boys. She suddenly felt so comfortable around them, especially since she hadn’t really made friends in this business. Her “protective” father usually kept her from that.

However, this was a much-needed escape for her. She felt herself really smiling for the first time in a long time, and for that, she was forever grateful to the Winchester brothers.

Time flew by fast though, and just as quick as it began the fun was over as the two cars pull into a lot of an old motel.

“Alright time to split,” Dean began as he grabbed some duffle bags out of the bag, tossing one to his brother. “Sammy and I will take the first room open and you and your dad can bunk in the room next door.”

She had stayed in motel rooms with her father before, that’s how they lived before they settled on renting a home in Missouri. However, the thought made her feel sick in her stomach. She didn’t understand why she was so worried, the boys were right next door and it feels like she could trust them. But the hold her father has on her was tight, and she knew every sick and twisted thoughts in his mind was right. How could she even think of telling them how much of a failure she was? Everything was her fault, and as soon as they knew they would probably just leave.

She shook off her sickness and got out of the car, grabbing her bag and avoiding her father's glare as she walked past him to rent the room for the week.

As soon as they got inside she began setting up her own sort of kit for demon hunting. Spray Paint for devils traps, holy water, and an assortment of tools and weapons that can surely slow someone, or some _ thing _ , down. Her father, on the other hand simply stood at the foot of his bed, swaying slightly under his weight. She shifted her gaze to nervously glance at him for a moment before she saw him shake his head and drag himself into the bathroom.

She paid no mind to his behavior as she simply got back to work organizing her supplies, just focusing on how excited she is to go out and hunt. Especially with the  _ Winchesters!  _ Those boys are practically famous among hunters, and she knew their father and hers had gone on plenty of hunts together when they were young. Surprising that they hadn’t crossed paths sooner. But nevermind all that, because now she was going to go on what felt like the hunt of a lifetime. Now she can prove herself, now she can show what she’s made of, maybe her father will finally let her go.


	5. Chapter 5

The four of them stood with their cars parked out of sight next to the property line of an old warehouse.

_ “Alright boys, check this out,” Tabitha flipped open her laptop and clicked through various screens of traffic cameras, “think I found out where our little bible study group meets up.” _

_ The three of them gathered around to observe what’s shown. _

_ There were ten figures that were under investigation. They needed to be careful about this, with so many of them just walking around on Earth they couldn’t just burst into this holy water blazing. Demons were popping out of hell left and right, so surely those unfortunate enough to be taken as a vessel would certainly raise some questions. _

_ Newspaper clippings were posted all around the motel room, “ _ **_Woman Reports_ ** _ blah blah blah _ **_Missing_ ** _ ” ... “ _ **_Local Minister Reported_ ** _ blah blah blah  _ **_Missing_ ** _ ” … “ _ **_Man Reports_ ** _ blah blah blah  _ **_Missing_ ** _ ” … Missing. Missing. Missing. Missing. Missing. Missing. Missing. _

_ Luckily for this little team here, every face on those missing posters were popping up here in St. Louis. _

_ “And I don’t think they’re coming for the Fair.” _

The sky was pitch black as they moved through the night, all four of them staying together until they’re nearly at the threshold. 

“Okay, everybody listen up,” Tabitha’s father hushed his voice to a whisper, “there are three entrances total. Sam, Dean, you two cover the back and the left side, Tabi and I will take the front.”

The two brothers nodded and were about to turn away when Tabitha held her arm out, “wait wait, why don’t Sam and Dean stick together and I can take the back?”

Her father turned to her with a stern look, the conversation quickly becomes just the two of them. “Excuse me?” He tilted his head, “are you suggesting you go out on your own?”

“Well… Yeah,” She shifted her gaze to avoid eye contact, “I’m an adult now, Dad. I figured… It’s about time you let me go out on my own.” 

She looked at him and her eyes softened, in hopes that he can see how this request means a lot more than just some hunt.

He ignored her silent pleas and grabbed her arm, ready to drag her along if necessary, “and what makes you think I can trust you on your own? What good has that done, huh?”

Her eyes widened in fear and she tried to tug her arm away without making it look like a big deal in front of the boys. Luckily before the argument became too heated Sam interjected.

“Hey um, how about Tabitha comes with me? We can cover the back, you take the front, and Dean takes the side.” Sam and Tabitha lock eyes as he continues to address her father, “would that… would that be okay?”

The air felt tense, her father's glare shifted to stare down Sam. For whatever reason, he let go of her arm. Maybe he saw that she was right, but most likely it was for the fact they were wasting time. So with that, she and Sam head to the back.

“Thanks,” She mumbled, part of her thinking he didn’t hear her until they rounded the corner.

“Don’t mention it,” he whispered back as he stopped by the door.

They waited long enough for Dean and her father to get into position before, much to Tabitha’s surprise, Sam stepped back to let her take the lead. She smiled and gave him a nod, a nod which he returned signifying that he was ready to go.

Without wasting another second she kicked the door in, storming inside with her gun in hand and holy water at the ready. Almost immediately they were met with a group of six demons, just waiting for them to show up.

“Come and get it, you black-eyed bitches.” 

Tabitha’s words kickstarted the battle, the demons charged forward at Sam and Tabitha. They were trying to take on three each, but it quickly became clear they simply needed to protect each other.

She shot two rounds of rock salt at two of them attempting to tackle Sam, making them stumble back and face her.

_ “Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas-”  _ As soon as she started they began to twitch and groan at the words,  _ “omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio,”  _ one of the two in front of her smoked out before they could be damned to hell, but the other sent her flying back with a wave of its hand.

“Sam!” She yelled out before the demon's hand closed into a fist making her gag, her breath getting caught in her throat as she began to choke.

He swung an iron rod at them before continuing where she left off,  _ “-omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, ergo draco maledicte, ut ecclesiam tuam secura, tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!” _

The four remaining smoked out with a struggled yell and Tabitha fell to her knees, holding her neck and coughing. Sam rushed over to bring her to her feet and she dusted herself off.

“Thanks,” she rasped out before clearing her throat, her eyes scanned the room, “wait a second.”

There were six, she was sure, yet there were only five bodies lying in front of them. The two of them immediately went on alert, standing back to back trying to find where the remaining demon might have gone. Her eyes landed on a door barely cracked open over on the far wall.

“Cover me,” she stated bluntly as she traveled towards the door, training the barrel of her shotgun on an invisible target.

Her foot opened the door just enough for her to slip inside and look into the blackness that engulfed the room. With a click of her flashlight, she could finally see, but it was deathly quiet, the sound of her breathing was the only thing filling the silence.

Suddenly the door swung shut with a  **_‘slam!’_ ** Then she could hear Sam banging on the door.

“Tabitha!” He called out, “what’s going on in there?!”

The doorknob jiggled and twisted, but it was no use, the door was sealed. She shone her light on the dark figure standing behind it and was met a chillingly skinny woman with slick black hair falling delicately on her shoulders. The woman smiled and blinked to show off her empty black eyes.

“Hello Tabi,” she greeted with a wide toothy smile, her voice all sing-songy as she stepped forward from her place in the corner.

“Don’t call me that,” without hesitation, Tabitha shot two rounds into her chest to slow her down, but it barely made her flinch.

With a wave of the woman’s hand, Tabitha’s gun slid across the floor and she was thrown back against the wall.

_ “Not again,”  _ she thought to herself, but instead of choking her the demon continued to walk over to face her.

“The ‘hello’ wasn’t from me, little lady,” she crossed her arms with a defiant smirk, “it was from your uncle.”

She felt her heart skip a beat as she stared into the black eyes in front of her. Her eyebrows furrowed in rage and she spat in her face making her lose control of her place on the wall for a moment long enough for Tabitha to kick her in the gut and run to reach of her gun. The demon’s lips curled into a disgusted grimace as she turned to stare down the barrel of Tabitha’s gun.

“What do you know of my uncle?” She asked in a demanding tone, making the demon smile.

“Why I’m surprised you didn’t think of it sooner, dear,” her head tilted so she could stare into Tabitha’s eyes instead, “I’m the one who tortures his immortal soul.”

She giggled as she watched the hunter become more enraged daring to shoot again, but it would only be a waste of ammunition. With this in the demon’s mind, she simply stepped out of the line of fire.

“It was going to be you, but you know how that turned out,” she edged on, getting uncomfortably close, “then again, which do you prefer? Being beat by me or your daddy?”

That's it.

Tabitha delivered a strong left hook to her face and kicked her back, her voice lowered in a dangerous tone as she began reciting the exorcism.

_ “Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica-”  _ She was thrown against the wall with a painful grunt pushing through her teeth.

“You know, it's a little warm to be all bundled up, don't you think?” The demon mockingly asked as she approached, digging her nails into the flesh of Tabitha's chest. She lifted a finger to tug down the collar of her shirt exposing the bruises left by her father, “did you tell your new friends about how daddy dearest makes you more black and blue than skin?”

Her words made Tabitha’s skin crawl, she growled and tried to kick at this evil figure in front of her, but it's hold constricted her entire body leaving her there helpless. She gulped in air as its hold began tightening in her chest.

_ “Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica-” _

The demon began to sway, the power holding Tabitha back was diminishing before a firm hand clasped around her throat silencing her. After she gained her balance, the demon smiled with a sigh and shook her head.

“ _ Tsk tsk tsk _ , Tabi,” she squeezed just enough to make it so Tabitha could barely breathe, “don’t worry, I know you’re scared to tattle. So, I’ll do it for you.”

She reached into Tabitha’s belt and pulled out a long sharp blade. Tabitha was seeing stars at this point, her vision was becoming hazy and she could only see the flashy white teeth of the demon’s smile, but she didn’t need her vision to feel the stinging pain of the knife digging into her skin. The demon carelessly dragged the knife down her body letting the blood drip and soak her clothing. Tabitha let out a struggled yell of pain before clenching her jaw and groaning. The blade traveled down her torso threatening to cut right through her femoral artery, but the loud banging and yelling behind the door made the demon stop and look over at the entrance. Her grip on Tabitha’s throat softened and she looked at her work with a dissatisfied wince.

“Well, it’s not my best, but I do believe that’s my cue to go.”

The voices grew louder as Tabitha could hear Sam, Dean, and her father from behind the door. Everything became hazy as their voices echoed in her skull. The demon returned the knife to Tabitha’s belt, intentionally slicing through her jeans just for kicks making her hiss in pain before it smoked out of its vessel, dropping her onto shaky feet.

Finally, Dean was able to kick the door in and Sam immediately ran in to keep Tabitha from falling.

“Dean she’s bleeding bad,” Sam kept his arm wrapped around her inspecting her wounds.

Dean came up and looked to her seeing her pained expression with her eyes only halfway open, “get her to the car, let’s go.”

He grabbed her discarded gun from the ground and went to follow Sam as he basically carried her form to the doorway where her father stood with crossed arms glaring at them.

“This is exactly what I meant,” His voice growled out from the back of his throat, “she’s not ready. Not strong enough. One minute alone and this ends up happening.”

While she was still conscious, it was nearly impossible for her to focus on anything. She heard her father's voice, and knowing that his words were along the lines of “I told you so,” she winced. The boys, however, took this as a sign of pain, and even though it was horrible Tabitha was just so tired of groaning and grunting from it, so she pushed every single sign of pain down the best she could.

_ “Don’t show anything. It’s a sign of weakness.” _

The Winchesters looked shocked as her father just stood there blocking the way.

“Is it really a good time for this?” Asked Sam, the annoyance and frustration shamelessly shown in his tone.

He sighed and stepped out of the way so the boys could take her out to the car, completely ignoring her father’s presence at this point. They got into their Impala, Dean driving while Sam sat with Tabitha in the back, resting her head on his lap as he examined her cuts.

“What do you think, Sammy?” Dean’s eyes glanced back to them in the mirror before focusing back on the road, “Hospital?”

After a moment of thought, Sam shook his head, “No, motel is closer, I can handle this.”

Dean nodded and pressed his foot further on the pedal, “whatever you say, Doc.”

They made it back to the motel in record time thanks to Dean deciding to push his baby past the speed limit. Sam scooped Tabitha up bridal style trying not to hurt her as he rushed inside urging her to stay awake.

“C’mon Tabi…” He walked inside and looked around the room trying to think on his toes before forming a plan and addressing Dean, “Pillow, Towel, First Aid kit, follow me.”

He led him into the bathroom ready to turn a bathtub into an operating table. After instructing Dean to place the towel and pillow in the tub, he gently laid her down inside making her strain holding her arms in front of the bleeding wound. 

Sam shut the door and got to work.


	6. Chapter 6

Her head hurt so bad, all she really heard was ringing in her ears as she still felt the need to catch her breath but Sam kept trying to calm her down. When he laid her down in the cool tub pain shot through her abdomen and down her legs, as the burning coolness of the cut began to set in she felt Sam’s hand on her forehead.

“You’re getting pretty cold,” he mumbled to himself before pulling his hand away and rummaging through the first aid kit raising his voice so Tabitha can hear him clearly, “alright, Tabi, this is gonna hurt but I promise I’ll get this done as quick as possible.”

He hesitated for a moment scanning her crimson stained clothes before sighing and looking to see how she out of it she is with her half-lidded expression and soft winces of pain.

“Don’t kill me for this.”

Sam sighed and took a pair of scissors running them up her pant leg being sure not to nick her skin as he cut her clothes off so he can have better access to her injuries. He took a clean towel and began gently pressing it on the sliced flesh to cease the bleeding. 

Tabitha felt the pressure and immediately tensed as a stinging sensation spread through the cuts. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cuss and yell until her voice was sore but she was just so tired. Feeling between her fingers to her toes was thin, she tried to move in the slightest but her efforts were in vain because even at the slight twitch of her body Sam held her still reminding her that it’s okay.

At least that’s what she thought she heard before everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

“Where is she?”

Dean looked up from the TV to see Tabitha’s father standing in the doorway shutting the door behind him, “there you are,” Dean took a swig of the beer loosely gripped in his hand, “sorry, man, thought you were right behind us.”

He kicked open a mini fridge sitting at his feet and offered the man a beer. Rick looked around as he stepped over to tower over Dean’s sitting form, repeating himself in the same firm tone.

“Where is she?”

Dean set his aside and pulled out a dark bottle from the fridge anyway, “Sam’s patching her up over in the bathroom,” he holds out the bottle presenting it to him but he simply turns to go into the bathroom making Dean stand up and rest his hand on his shoulder taking this as a sign of worry. “Hey hey, just let him handle this, he’s pretty good at this stuff. She’ll be out in no time.”

He stared at Dean for a moment before sighing and swiping the unopened bottle off of the table and taking a seat at the foot of one of the beds. With a **_‘pop!’_ **the lid fell off thanks to a bottle opener keychain he keeps on him and he took a long drink of its contents.

“So,” Dean began, “it’s just you and Tabi, huh?”

Rick nodded looking down at the bottle in his hand, “yup, she’s all I got left.”

“... Is that why you’re trying to keep her from hunting?”

The question made him pause, part of him beginning to get mad wondering if she was complaining to them behind his back, but he tried to think of the most truthful answer without sounding like the jackass he was.

“Hm, well I’m pretty sure if I let her she would get herself killed. As shown by tonight she’s not all that great.”

Dean stifled a small chuckle.

“What’s funny?”

He shrugged and took another swig, “just think it’s funny, you say she sucks, yet you’re the one that trained her.”

What was meant to just be a harmless taunt made his shoulders tense, instantly getting defensive, “you see, I tried to really. She just can’t seem to learn-”

“I’m gonna stop ya right there, bud,” Dean interrupted receiving a puzzled look from him, “I mean according to Sam she kicked some ass tonight. Just got cornered is all.”

He listened to Dean figuring he needs to ease up a little so he stores away his frustrations for later, “huh… Then I guess if she doesn’t get herself killed, it’ll certainly be someone else.”

Before Dean could respond Sam peaked his head out from the bathroom, “Hey Dean?”

He stood up, setting his beer down on the table next to him, Rick was about to do the same before Dean simply gestured for him to sit and wait.

“I’ll be right back, just stay here.”

He sighed and just sipped at his beer watching the boys disappear into the bathroom.

Tabitha's wounds her properly cleaned and stitched up, then covered in gauze to keep them protected. She was still unconscious, but it now looked like a peaceful sleep rather than a pain induced state of blackness.

“What’s up, Sammy? She looks all set.”

“Dean, those cuts were the only major injuries that happened tonight.”

“Yeah… And?” Dean looked at his brother confused to see that his eyes were glued on Tabitha.

He looked again, this time really trying to find what Sam was getting at and saw it. He saw the cuts in her knee, he saw the purple and blue splotches littering her body, he saw the small slices on her hands and arms, he even started to reconsider the black eye on her face. It took a moment for him to speak up again, trying to rationalize how this might have happened.

“Well, maybe she just got pretty beat up on a hunt, you know how it goes.”

Sam shook his head and kneeled next to her in the tub lifting up her arm to reveal a large palm-sized bruise.

“Rick said they hadn’t been hunting in months, these are way too fresh. Something happened, Dean, and I can’t help but just have a bad feeling about this.”

“Bad feeling?” Dean’s expression twisted into confusion as he shoved his hands into his pockets, “you’re not really thinking that maybe… You know, Rick-”

He stopped when he saw Tabitha begin to stir with a wince. Sam let go of her arm and stood up as they both waited for her to wake. Her eyelids began to flutter open then she stared up and them with her bright green eyes.

“... Guys?” Her voice was hoarse and tired, she tried to sit only for the pain to return.

“Just relax, Tabi,” Sam assured, “don’t want your stitches to split.”

She groaned and laid back, clearly stubborn over having to “relax”. The boys quickly forget about her mysterious injuries and simply focus on her now that she’s awake.

“I’ll go get something for the pain,” Dean announced before leaving the room.

Sam bent down next to her prepared to help her up, “here let’s get you to a bed, bet it’s better than a bloody tub.”

She chuckled a bit then nodded allowing Sam to lift her up out of the bathtub as she held on. He walked her out of the bathroom and laid her down on his bed. She quickly covered herself up in a blanket when she sees her father sitting on the other bed, then she gulped down the pain medication Dean brings her. It looked like they were all going to stay in the same room for a while, chatting and just relaxing from the hunt. So Sam went next door and got Tabitha some of her clothes, she looked grateful for her body to be hidden once more but the boys still worried.


	8. Chapter 8

As the night went on and became early morning, Tabitha’s father was pretty buzzed after raiding Dean’s stash of alcohol, so they all returned to their own rooms to get some rest. Tabitha walked across the room to her bed but before she can make it a firm hand gripped her arm.

“Um, Dad?”

“I warned you.”

“E-Excuse me?”

He tugged at her arm hard making her stumble back to face him.

“I told you to watch what you say around those boys,” he growled in her face.

She knew what was coming, and oh god she needed to stop it. She had no clue what he was talking about.

“Dad, I swear I didn’t say anything-”

She was silenced by a harsh smack across her face making her whimper.

Truth was, he got curious when the two brothers disappeared into the bathroom, and just a couple steps closer with a pair of open ears he had all he needed to know.

But Tabitha didn’t have any clue what happened or even why he was now dragging her over to pin her against a wall. She couldn’t help the few cries bubbling from her lips as her breath became fearful and frantic.

“No no no Dad please-!”

She received another blow, but now his hand was closed into a tight fist making her head whip to the side.

“Shhh shh,” he soothed as his hand opened to gently stroke her hair, “don’t want to wake up your new friends.”

He gripped her jaw tight to keep her head still and pressed a kiss on her forehead as her body shook and squirmed out of fear. The next hit was on the other side of her face making her nose drip red, he then gripped her hair and yanked hard making her whimper as she was thrown onto the bed. She tried to scramble away fearing he’ll rip her stitches open but that doesn’t stop him from climbing on top of her and pressing her down. For a split second, she felt like screaming, and that only angered him more. He clamped his hand down over her mouth as tears finally began streaming down her cheeks.

“Shut the hell up!” He shouted in a whisper, “what do you want? Huh?! You want them to come save you? They don’t care! How could they?”

She started thrashing kicking below him before another swift punch made her movements halt. However, as soon as the hand keeping her mouth shut moves she lets out a shrill scream before his grip settled right on her throat.

“You dumb bitch!”

He began hitting her over and over again as his hand clenched around her neck. Why did she have to do that?! Now she's getting it even worse just because she thought they would hear her. He suddenly stopped and finally let go leaving her just laying here begging like a dog just praying for forgiveness. Her eyes were closed but she heard him shifting around on top of her and the soft clinking of metal made her afraid of opening her eyes. The crack of a belt made her eyes snap open with a gasp and just as he rose the strap of leather above his head to strike her down the door swung open with a loud crash against the wall.

The Winchester brothers stood there in shock at the sight in front of them.

“... I knew it... you son of a bitch!” Dean stormed over and ripped him off of her before immediately starting to throw punches.

Sam rushed over to Tabitha's side repeatedly asking her if she was okay only getting uncontrollable sobs in return. He helped her off of the bed and tried to get her out of the room, but she just froze watching in horror as Dean and her father beat on each other. There's so much yelling, and the sound of their hits on each other radiated through the air. She was almost struggling to get out of Sam's hold. This needed to stop. This was all her fault. Oh god, let it stop.

With one last uppercut to his jaw, her father was out cold, collapsing onto the ground with a **_'thud’_ **. Dean was huffing and puffing out air as he stumbled back. He sniffles and wiped some blood from his nose with the side of his hand before turning to see Tabitha just frozen with shock, her sobs only becoming silent tears streaming down her face as her eyes widen with fear at the sight of her father unconscious on the ground.

“Are you okay?” He asked gently, walking up to her inspecting her beaten face.

Even though it was a complete lie, she nodded yes. That was Dean's cue to grab her bag and shove whatever looked like hers inside.

“He'll be back up any minute, we're getting you out of here.”

She was so shocked she didn't even think of opposing them as Sam led her out to the car with Dean trailing behind.

They all packed up and sped off leaving her father bloody and alone in the motel room. No doubt he would go after them once he woke up, so they had to get a start. For Tabitha, this was just the beginning. Everything that has happened, her uncle, the demon, and now her father left at the motel room alone, it was all so much. She was forever in the Winchesters debt, but she was scared… and tired. Really tired.


	9. Chapter 9

Sam looked into the back seat to find Tabitha fast asleep leaning against the door, pressing the cool window against her face. He looked over to his brother who was driving with stiff shoulders as he gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were turning white.

“You okay?”

Dean sighed and eased up a little trying to let go of the adrenaline still pumping through his veins, “Yeah yeah, I'm fine… Just can't believe that bastard.”

“I can,” Sam said blankly.

“What?” Dean questioned looking to his brother with confusion.

“Dean, you know that wasn’t the same man Dad hunted with. When I told Bobby we were in Springfield he said Rick really changed after his brother died. Honestly, I’m not surprised that he would take out his frustrations on her. I’m just sickened that we couldn’t help her sooner.”

She began to stir making Dean glance to the back in the mirror, her eyes fluttered open and she met his.

“Hey, there she is. How ya feeling?” he forced a smile.

She groaned softly and rubbed her temple, “I’ve been better… I guess you guys have some questions…”

“Well it’s fairly self-explanatory, Tabitha,” Sam jumped in turning in his seat to look at her.

“Really?” She asked hesitantly, “I mean it’s pretty complicated. In the beginning, I thought it was just discipline but now…”

“Tab, listen to me,” Dean looked into her eyes from the mirror while still keeping his focus on the road, “if we hadn’t heard you he would have beaten you to death. That’s not discipline. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

 _“That’s debatable,”_ She thought, but she decided to keep it to herself.

Tabitha knew the boys were just trying to help, but there were times when she truly felt she deserved it. She’d say the wrong thing, or do something at the wrong time, she just can’t seem to do anything right. She was never able to impress her father, she could hit ten bullseyes in a row with a crossbow but he still pushed her to do more.

“So…” She began, taking a pause to think of the right words, “what now?”

Sam and Dean looked to each other for a moment, seeing if one would cue the other to speak.

“We were thinking you could tag along with us,” Dean explained, “we’re heading to South Dakota, and there you can crash with a friend of ours until you’re ready to go out on your own.”

She sat up in her seat finding that she can handle the small bits of pain remaining.

“You guys really thought about this, huh?” She wondered out loud, to which Sam nodded in reply.

“We weren’t about to leave you until we knew you’re taken care of,” he said with a kind gentle tone, “you’re an adult Tabitha, you don’t need your father looming over your shoulder anymore.”

She shrugged, “I’ve just never really been alone before, I guess.”

“You won’t be,” he continued, “you have us, and you’ll have Bobby to help you. You’re gonna be okay.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips and she nodded. Sam smiled back and turned to face forward watching the road with Dean. Eventually they would have to worry about her father coming after them, but for now, they were happy to be far away from St. Louis.

Tabitha was safe with these boys, and while she was nervous, she was eager to finally be free. She could go out hunting, make friends, and just go out and live life as any twenty-year-old should.

She was ready.


	10. Authors Note

I hope you guys liked my first story. I want to take this character places, a lot of places, so this story is more of a prologue of what's to come. If you're interested in all that then stay tuned! Love ya ;)

_**Wanna read the sequel?** _

_****_ **** **[You Will Be Found](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19412950) **

_**Completely finished too!** _


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